Reading music · Notation
Music symbols and what they mean
Every symbol you'll meet in piano music, what it tells you to do, and a button to hear the ones that change the sound. Tap any symbol to copy it.
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Clefs · Notes · Rests · Accidentals · Time · Dynamics · Articulation · Repeats and road signs · Piano marks
Clefs
Where the notes sit: the clef at the start of each line names the lines and spaces.
Treble clef
Also called the G clef: its curl circles the G line. Used for the right hand and higher notes. More →
Bass clef
Also called the F clef: its two dots sit either side of the F line. Used for the left hand and lower notes. More →
C clef (alto or tenor)
Its centre marks middle C. Used by violas, cellos and trombones, rarely in piano music.
Notes
How long a note lasts. In 4/4 time a quarter note is one beat.
Whole note (semibreve)
Four beats. More →
Half note (minim)
Two beats. More →
Quarter note (crotchet)
One beat. More →
Eighth note (quaver)
Half a beat. Two or more are joined by a beam: ♫. More →
Sixteenth note (semiquaver)
A quarter of a beat. Joined by a double beam: ♬. More →
Dotted note
A dot after a note adds half its value again: a dotted half note lasts three beats. More →
Rests
Silence, measured the same way as notes.
Whole rest
A whole bar of silence. It hangs from the fourth line.
Half rest
Two beats. It sits on the third line, like a hat.
Quarter rest
One beat of silence.
Eighth rest
Half a beat.
Sixteenth rest
A quarter of a beat.
Accidentals
Sharps, flats and naturals change a note by a half step, for the rest of the bar.
Sharp
Raise the note a half step: the very next key to the right, usually black. More →
Flat
Lower the note a half step: the next key to the left. More →
Natural
Cancel a sharp or flat: play the white key.
Double sharp
Raise the note two half steps.
Double flat
Lower the note two half steps.
Time
At the start of the music, after the clef and key signature.
Common time
Another way of writing 4/4: four quarter-note beats in a bar. More →
Cut time
2/2, or alla breve: two half-note beats in a bar. More →
Dynamics
How loud. From the Italian: piano is soft, forte is loud.
Pianissimo (pp)
Very soft.
Piano (p)
Soft.
Mezzo-piano (mp)
Moderately soft.
Mezzo-forte (mf)
Moderately loud: the everyday loudness.
Forte (f)
Loud.
Fortissimo (ff)
Very loud.
Crescendo
Get gradually louder (also written cresc.).
Decrescendo or diminuendo
Get gradually softer (also written dim.).
Articulation
How each note is played: short, long, leaning, held.
Staccato
A dot above or below the note: play it short and detached.
Tenuto
A short line: hold the note for its full value, slightly leaning on it.
Accent
A wedge: play the note louder than those around it.
Fermata
Hold the note longer than written, as long as feels right, before moving on.
Slur
A curve over different notes: play them smoothly connected (legato).
Tie
A curve joining two of the same note: play it once and hold for both values.
Repeats and road signs
Where to go next.
Repeat start
Go back to here when you reach the end-repeat sign.
Repeat end
Go back to the start-repeat sign (or the beginning) and play the section again.
Segno
A sign to come back to: D.S. (dal segno) means go back to it.
Coda
The ending section: "to coda" means jump to this sign.
Piano marks
Signs you'll mostly see in piano music.
Sustain pedal down
Press the right pedal: notes keep ringing after you lift your fingers.
Pedal up
Release the pedal.
8va (ottava)
Play the notes an octave higher than written.
8vb
Play the notes an octave lower than written.
For tempo words like Allegro and Andante, see the tempo markings on the metronome page.
Reading the marks, but does it sound like it? Ivory listens to you play and tells you what's off: a note that's missing, a hand that lands late, a staccato that's too long. Then it shows you how it should go.
Questions people ask
What are the symbols in music called?
Together they're called musical notation. The main families are clefs, notes and rests, accidentals (sharps, flats and naturals), time and key signatures, dynamics (how loud), articulation (how each note is played) and repeat signs.
What does mf mean in music?
Mezzo-forte: moderately loud. It's the everyday loudness; mp (mezzo-piano) is moderately soft.
What does a dot above a note mean?
Staccato: play the note short and detached. A dot after a note is different: it makes the note half as long again.
What is the difference between a slur and a tie?
Both are curved lines. A tie joins two of the same note into one longer note; a slur joins different notes, meaning play them smoothly.
How do I type music symbols like ♪ and ♯?
Copy them from this page: every symbol has a copy button. They're Unicode characters, so they paste into most apps, though the rarer ones (like the clefs) need a font that includes them.